USS RAptor2Reunion
by NuclearArmageddon
Summary: The second story in the series. Cory meets an old friend and the fleet assaults Jem'Hadar shipyards. Please let me know if you see any grammar or spelling mistakes. I used Word to check it, but its not perfect.



    Captain Cory Rypkema yawned and rubbed at his eyes, wishing the reports would just finish themselves. He had been up for eight hours doing paperwork.
    "T'prel to the Captain." The Vulcan's dull, droning voice fits perfectly with the paperwork, Cory thought.
    "Go ahead." He said irritably.
    "We have been recalled to Starbase 219 for repairs and a few new crew members. The cargo ship towing us had adjusted course accordingly"
    "My new First Officer?"
    "It would be likely." T'prel cut the channel.
    Cory's old first officer, Rick Harper, had been shot in the arm by a Cardassian and had decided for personal reasons to resign his commission. Cory hadn't tried too hard to get the reasons out of him. He hadn't known him for very long, but he was a competent officer and Cory hoped the new one would be as good or better.
    The 13th Battle Fleet had moved out, without the Raptor, who had suffered a badly damaged port nacelle.
    "Probably out there having all the fun." Cory said to nobody in particular.
    They had left Starbase 111 only four hours ago, but Cory hadn't slept in two days.
    A light beeped on his monitor, indicating an incoming message.
    Opening it up, he saw it was an update of the status of the 13th fleet. He smiled faintly as he scanned the list. No ships destroyed, though the Admiral's flagship took heavy damage.
    The second piece of mail was a message, from Starfleet Command.
    Cory opened it up.
    "Here are your orders." Another Vulcan talking, though this once didn't sound as dull as T'prel.
    "After repairs, you will rejoin the 13th Battle Fleet. They will be assaulting Jem'Hadar shipyards."
    Cory whistled. The first big push.
    Cory read the rest of it, and then deleted both messages.
    Finally deciding to get some sleep he stood up and yawned.
    "Captain to Bridge."
    "T'prel here."
    "Don't contact me until we reach Starbase 219, unless it's urgent. Understand?"
    "Yes, sir."
    Cory then threw himself down on the bed and was asleep before he hit it.
    ***
    Starbase 219
    ***
    Cory watched out the viewport as the workers slowly lifted the new port nacelle onto his ship. Several of the little ships held the nacelle steady while it was guided and fixed into the proper position. They then strengthened it with materials Cory knew nothing about.
    Cory usually came to the Observation deck to be alone. This time, it was filled with people, drinking, laughing, and watching.
    Lieutenant Amanda Solrys was sitting beside him, watching. They had only talked a few times, briefly, over the past few weeks.
    "Why did you join Starfleet, sir?" She asked.
    "We're off duty. It's Cory." He said.
    Solrys flushed. "Sorry."
    "I joined because I wanted to see the stars. I felt like that was the best thing for me. Either that or professional baseball, but by that time, almost nobody played it anymore."
    "I joined for the sense of adventure. I'd always wondered what it would be like to fly one of those great big warships." She sighed.
    Cory laughed. "But now you fly a tiny little tin can."
    Solrys mocked offence. "Tin cans. How about that garbage scow you command?"
    "Ooh. Deep. Tash would probably throttle you on the spot if she heard that." Cory watched as the port nacelle powered up as its connections to the rest of the ship where restored.
    Before another word could be said, Cory's comm badge beeped. "Sir, your new First Officer has arrived in Shuttle Bay Two."
    "Acknowledged, I'm on my way."
    Amanda smiled. "I have to get some flight simulator time in anyway. See you later."
    "Okay." Cory walked towards the Shuttle Bay.
    ***
    Starbase 219: Shuttle Bay Two
    ***
    Cory almost laughed and cried at the same time when he saw her. She almost knocked him over she hit him so hard.
    "Where the hell did you come from? I didn't know you where a Captain!" She said, hugging him.
    Cory smirked. "Got promoted a few weeks ago. What are you doing here?"
    "I'm the new First Officer for some ship called the Raptor. That wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"
    Cory shrugged. "Yep."
    "Oops." She stood back and performed a deliberately sloppy salute. "Commander Rachel Towers reporting for duty, Sir!"
    Cory shook his head in amazement. Rachel was the closest thing to a woman he had ever had. They had dated off and on, for a year, and ended up just being friends. Then she had moved to Europe and that made seeing her a bit difficult, especially when he joined Starfleet.
    "Come on, let me show you the Raptor. I think they're just about done repairs." Cory led her to the exit.
    "Afterwards, you're buying me a drink. We have a lot of catching up to do." She smirked.
    ***
    USS Raptor: Lounge
    ***
    "Where did you go after you graduated?" Rachel asked, sipping at her drink.
    "They put me aboard some leaky old Miranda class. The uh…" Cory frowned, trying to recall the name. He had only been on it for two days.
    "Oh yeah! The Valiant."
    She laughed. The sound almost sent Cory into a trance.
    "That old piece of junk? Didn't it fall apart?"
    "That's why they sent me off. She broke down right in the middle of nowhere. The chief engineer almost committed suicide."
    "I started out on the Guillotine, a Sabre." She said.
    They continued to catch up on old news, until both their comm badges beeped.
    "Senior officers to the bridge." T'prel said.
    They both quickly stood up.
    "It's good to see you again, Cory." She smiled at him.
    "You too. Let's go, before T'Prel gets mad."
    ***
    USS Raptor: Bridge
    ***
    "Control, this is the Raptor." T'Prel said.
    "Go ahead Raptor."
    "Please release the docking clamps. We are ready to depart."
    "Alright there Raptor. Have a safe journey."
    Cory and Rachel exited the turbolift just as the clamps released.
    "Tash, set a course for the fleet." Cory said, sitting in his chair. Rachel took her place on the seat to his left.
    "Aye, sir." The ship began to move.
    "How long, T'prel?" Cory asked.
    "Twenty Seven minutes, nineteen se-"
    "Thank you, T'prel." Cory said, cutting the Vulcan off.
    T'Prel frowned, but said nothing. Everybody else smiled.
    Twenty-seven minutes later was the next time T'Prel spoke.
    "Approaching destination, sir."
    "On screen."
    The screen flickered, and then showed the 13th Fleet, in full formation, with one spot open in the line, obviously waiting for them.
    "Wow." Rachel said.
    "Tash, move us into position, then T'Prel can signal the Admiral we're ready to move out."
    The two officers acknowledged him and set to work.
    "The Admiral is hailing us, sir." T'Prel said.
    "Answer him."
    The smiling Admiral appeared on screen.
    "Nice of you to join us, Captain. You are repaired and recrewed?"
    Cory nodded. "They got a new Nacelle on in record time and I picked up my new First Officer."
    The Admiral smiled at Rachel who smiled back.
    "Welcome to the Fleet, Commander."
    "Thank you, Admiral. I look forward to some action."
    The Admiral's expression turned sad. "Well, you'll be seeing some. We're assaulting Jem'Hadar shipyards. They will be heavily defended by both their owners and Cardassians."
    Cory shivered. Jem'Hadar gave him the creeps.
    "Alright, gentlemen. Let's move out."
    Cory looked down at Tash but didn't hear her mutter anything.
    He shrugged it off and sat back, preparing his nerves for battle.
    ***
    Dominion Shipyards Orbiting Torr 7
    ***
    Admiral Jack Newman frowned. He had expected more resistance.
    "How many ships?" He asked.
    "I am picking up twenty-one assorted Jem'Hadar vessels." His sensors officer responded.
    Newman sighed. "Signal the attack."
    "Admiral Newman has signalled the attack." T'prel said.
    "Break formation. Attack Pattern Alpha. Fire a burst of torpedoes at the shipyards then pick a ship and keep with it."
    "Weapons ready sir." Gordon said.
    "Go."
    The Raptor dove down, firing a spray of torpedoes that dove in towards the shipyards.
    Most of the other ships followed the example, and then it turned into a dogfight. Ships picked targets and went after them.
    "Got him! He's leaking plasma and pulling out." Gordon grinned.
    "Let him go. Acquire another target."
    "Jem'Hadar fighter, bearing 220 Mark 76" T'prel said.
    "Moving to intercept." Tash looped the ship around until it was right behind the fighter.
    "Two ships are behind us." T'prel said, as the Raptor was rocked by weapons fire.
    "Lock on with aft phasers and fire!" Cory said, gripping his chair as another blast rocked the ship.
    Then, as the Raptor returned fire, all hell broke loose.
    "Captain! I am reading a massive fleet dropping out of warp!" There was a definite note of panic in T'Prel's voice, meaning it had to be really bad.
    Newman's voice was loud and clear over the Fleet Channel. "All ships retreat! Break and retreat!"
    As the Raptor spun around, Cory saw a Sovereign be ripped apart by weapons fire as seven Galor class and several Jem'Hadar fighters annihilated it.
    Suddenly Cory was violently thrown forward. The Raptor had been struck by a blast of torpedoes and travelling at such high velocity, had spun wildly out of control, throwing people everywhere.
    Cory's head slammed into a something solid, and he fell into darkness…
    Rachel managed to pull herself up into the Helm chair and halt the spin with bursts of thrusters.
    Looking around the bridge, there was no movement.
    Panic went through her when she saw Cory lying underneath the handrail behind his chair.
    T'Prel was slumped over his console, his arms dangling, and Gordon was probably lying on the floor behind his.
    "Towers to Doctor Newman."
    "Unless it's urgent, Commander, it will have to wait."
    None of the bridge crew's injuries looked too severe.
    "I don't think anybody is in critical condition. I'll do what I can from here." Rachel said, trying to keep her voice calm.
    Quickly checking Tash for a pulse, she moved on to Cory.
    He had a large bruise over his eye, presumably where his face had struck the rail.
    "You'll be fine." She muttered.
    She quickly checked the status of the ship.
    Pulling up the damage report she groaned as almost all the lights where blinking red.
    Warp Drive, Offline. Weapons, Offline. Shields, Offline. Sensors, Offline. The only thing that seemed to be working was Life Support.
    Rachel slammed her hand on the communications console and it flickered. She knew next to nothing about fixing machinery.
    After trying for several minutes to get communications or the viewscreen online at least, she slumped back against the wall, held her face in her hands, and sighed in defeat.
    It took another 30 minutes for medical personnel to get onto the bridge, because the turbolift shaft was jammed with debris.
    Commander Rachel Towers walked into Sickbay, and went to find the doctor.
    "How is he?" She asked when she finally found Dr. Newman.
    "It was worse then it looked." Newman sighed.
    "How bad?"
    "The rail cracked his skull. I've managed to repair the damage but he's going to have one hell of a headache for a while." She smiled faintly.
    Cory was in one of the closed rooms in the Raptor's sickbay, reading a PADD with a massive bandage covering his forehead.
    He nodded to acknowledge Rachel as she stood in the doorframe.
    "Come on in." He said, moving his head slightly then regretting it as a wave of pain shot through him.
    "How many times did I tell you to NOT hit your head on a handrail?" She said.
    He laughed lightly. "And make you not worry about me? Never."
    She handed him another PADD. "Casualty list."
    His face turned sad. "I don't want to see it."
    She shook her head. "No fatalities Cory. Nobody dead. Over half the crew injured, but nobody dead."
    He blinked in amazement. Was she kidding?
    Almost reading his mind she pointed at the PADD. "I'm not joking."
    He picked up the PADD and confirmed it. About 60 percent of the crew had at least minor injuries, but nobody was dead.
    Then he winced as he looked at the damage report.
    "We'll be in the docks for at least a month." He sighed.
    "Better then being destroyed, like some of the others." She said, handing him another PADD.
    It showed six ships destroyed. Most of the others where damaged, but managed to escape the conflict.
    Thankfully, Cory thought, the Deception, Phoenix and Nightingale where not among the destroyed, though the Phoenix was severely damaged.
    Dr. Newman leaned into the room. "He needs rest."
    Rachel shrugged. "See you later." Not wanting to anger the Doctor, she left swiftly.
    ***
    Starbase 219
    ***
    "How did they outsmart us?" Admiral Paul Warner said angrily, slamming his fist on the table.
    "They predicted our next move." Admiral Newman said calmly.
    "And you didn't see a trap?" Warner yelled.
    "Is it a crime to be fooled by a trick?" Newman asked, trying his best to keep his temper.
    "When you lose six ships it sure as hell is!"
    "It could've been much worse."
    "Yes, it could've been if the Dominion had decided to chase you."
    "I don't know why they retreated." Newman balled his fists under the table.
    "How many of your ships are battle-ready?" Warner asked.
    "Seven. The Raptor and Phoenix need at least three weeks in dry dock. They are the worst off. "
    Warner frowned. "I only have 3 defiant class ships here to help protect us. What if the Dominion counter-attacks?"
    "Then we'll have to fight back, obviously."
    "Don't get smart with me, Newman."
    "So call in the 18th. They're the closest fleet."
    Warner sighed. "They're over a day away."
    "So? Call them anyway. Maybe they'll get here in time."
    "In time for what?"
    "To save your worthless skin." He muttered quietly.
    "What was that, Newman?"
    "I said, in time to save the station."
    "In time to save the station, sir." Warner snapped.
    "No. I'm not your subordinate." Newman stood up.
    "I can have that arranged." Warner gave Newman a wicked smile.
    The men stared each other down until the door chime beeped.
    "Enter." Both said at once.
    Captain Cory Rypkema walked in, his head heavily bandaged.
    "What can I do for you today Captain?" Warner sneered.
    "You can shut the hell up and get out." Cory snarled.
    Warner blinked, his mouth opening and closing.
    "Get out. Before I order security to throw you out an airlock."
    "W-What?" The Admiral stammered.
    "Orders from Starfleet Command to have you immediately recalled to Earth for debriefing. Apparently they discovered your latinum smuggling operation. Now get the hell out before I shoot you."
    "I don't know what you're talking about." Warner said, frowning.
    Cory then had two security guards come in and drag the Admiral out.
    "So he did have a smuggling operation." Newman said.
    "Maybe. He got orders to be debriefed, but I made that smuggling operation thing up."
    He sat down slowly, wincing.
    "You didn't have to swear at him." Newman continued.
    "I know, but I wanted to. He's a stuck up scumbag and a coward to boot. With him gone, we might stand a chance when and if the Dominion strike back."
    "I hope you're right." Newman sighed.
    "So do I."
    ***
    Starbase 219: Dock 19
    ***
    "Bloody hell." Lieutenant Commander Martin Greer swore as he saw the damage inside the conduit he was inspecting.
    "That's going to have to be totally replaced." He said to the man making notes on his PADD, before moving on.
    "How are the torpedo tubes?" He asked two more engineers that walked by.
    One faked throwing up; the other drew his finger across his throat.
    "Better order new torpedo tubes too, then." Greer sighed.
    "Is this all the parts you think you'll need?" The supply officer asked, holding up the long list.
    "I think so. If I find anything else I'll let you know." Greer said.
    "Oh, that's good." The man said, not really paying attention and wandering off.
    "Supply Officers." He muttered.
    The two engineers grinned.
    "Come on boys, let's go see if there's anything left of the warp core."
    Suddenly the station rumbled.
    A female voice came over the comm system. "Red alert! We are under attack! All fighters and vessels launch!"
    Greer groaned. This day was just getting worse and worse.
    3 Sabre Class ships and 7 other vessels that had some sort of damage limped out to meet the Dominion attack.
    "Pathetic resistance." The First said.
    "Open fire." The Vorta smiled.
    The fleet disintegrated the first two Sabre Class ships with the combined firepower.
    "Victory is Life!" The Jem'Hadar roared.
    "Jesus! When are our reinforcements coming?" Cory yelled.
    The station was rocked again and the lights flickered.
    "Soon, I hope. Our last communication had their ETA as being 39 minutes. That was about 10 minutes ago." Newman said, holding on to a chair.
    "So about half an hour. Better arm yourself, Admiral. I have a feeling they want this Starbase intact." Cory walked over to the weapons locker and opened it.
    He tossed a phaser rifle back to the Admiral and took one for himself.
    Cory was right. The second the shields went down, Jem'Hadar started beaming into the Starbase.
    Four beamed right in front of Cory and the Admiral.
    Two where taken down by their shots, but then the others lunged at Cory, seeing him as the greater threat, even though he was obviously injured.
    Cory slugged the first Jem'Hadar in the nose then struggled to fight the other one off, who was trying to throttle him.
    Two quick phaser blasts killed them both.
    Tash Parker and Alex Gordon stood in the doorway, hand phasers at the ready.
    Alex helped Cory up then went and replaced his hand phaser with a rifle, tossing one to Tash as well.
    "How many?" Cory asked.
    "At least 100. Some of them are beaming directly onto the ships."
    Cory swore. It wasn't the station they wanted, it was the ships.
    "Well, at least they won't be able to get the Raptor out of here. Engines are totally shot."
    Cory frowned. "How many have engines?"
    "Not very many. Five or six."
    Newman frowned. "I don't think they want them. I think they just want to blow them up."
    "Interesting theory, Admiral. Why?"
    "Think about it. We don't really have any advantages over them in ships. Just maybe in size. They just want to cripple us. Send us a message. Blowing up the entire 13th Fleet would do just that."
    The other officers nodded, then went quiet as Jem'Hadar voices came loud and clear.
    "I know there are more of them. I can smell them."
    "So find them."
    The door opened and the alien froze then was hurled back as four phasers caught him directly in the head.
    The other Jem'Hadar came flying through, screaming his war cry, until two phasers burned his eyes out and dropped him to the ground behind the other one.
    They dragged the six bodies over near the door to form a crude barricade.
    "Maybe they'll trip when the door opens." Gordon said.
    Jem'Hadar weren't that clumsy. But it could happen.
    ***
    USS Viper
    Approaching Starbase 219
    ***
    "Admiral, several dozen Jem'Hadar vessels are breaking off to intercept us."
    "They want that station pretty bad. Battle stations." Admiral Tom Goodwin said.
    The ship rocked as enemy fire hit the shields.
    "Return fire. Quantum Torpedoes, full spread."
    As the forty-seven ships of the 27th Reserve Fleet dove into the battle, the odds suddenly became worse.
    Cardassian ships began coming out of warp and bombarding the station and the 27th. Even as Goodwin yelled orders to roll hard to port, two Sabre Class ships in front of him blew up, and they flew through the fireball.
    And just as quickly, the odds shifted again.
    This time Klingon ships came swarming after the Cardassians. A brilliant explosion forced Goodwin to shield his eyes as a Keldon Class Warship was blown to pieces by over two dozen B'Rel class Warbirds.
    "Welcome the Klingons to the party, Lieutenant." Goodwin grunted to stay in his seat as the ship lurched again.
    "They tell us that it is a good day to die, Admiral." His comm officer smiled.
    "Let's hope it's not, Lieutenant."
    "We're through sir. Coming up on Starbase 219."
    "God, she's a mess." His helm officer remarked.
    Most of the station was dark, and a few smaller ships continued to pound on it, or land more troops.
    "Where's the Sokil?" Goodwin asked.
    The Sokil was an Iwo Jima class vessel, carrying over 200 marines.
    "Still at the rear of the fleet, with the carriers."
    "Try and get them through. Beam security teams onto the station and hit those little pests still hammering her with phasers only."
    The Sovereign class vessel managed to destroy all seven Jem'Hadar ships in short order.
    "Station is reporting over 300 Jemmies on board."
    "The Sokil is through sir. They're beaming marines on board."
    Goodwin sighed in relief.
    ***
    Starbase 219
    Admiral's Ready Room
    ***
    The four officers crouched, waiting. Over 30 Jem'Hadar had attempted to come into the room, and been blasted, but eventually they would get smart.
    Gordon walked slowly to the door, which was frozen in the open position, and peered out.
    "There's nobody out here, sir."
    "Oh, they're there. Waiting." Tash said.
    Cory heard a muffled thump from above, and then almost instinctively fired his rifle into the ceiling.
    The burst caused a loud roar of pain and a crash as four Jem'Hadar jumped from the hole in the ceiling.
    "Surrender!" One said.
    The four raised their rifles, and then let them fall as four more troops poured in through the door.
    "You Federation scum." The Jem'Hadar laughed. Suddenly his expression was of agony, as the phaser blast almost burned right through him.
    The others whirled around confused, and then lifted their rifles as four marines charged them.
    Cory ran fill tilt and hit one of the aliens in the back, knocking him to the floor.
    The marines had the Jem'Hadar neutralized quickly.
    The leader, a Colonel slapped his comm badge. "We've found the Admiral, sir."
    "Colonel Decker, sir. We're here to escort you to a safer place." He offered his hand.
    Newman shook the hand, and then motioned to the door. "Lead on."
    It took a full two days for Security to confirm that all the Jem'Hadar where off the station. Some had been found hiding in the dark, waiting to strangle or shoot anybody they saw.
    "How's your head, Cory?" Orion asked. Cory, Amanda Walker and the two Solomon twins where sitting in the only lounge with life support left on the Starbase.
    Cory shrugged. "One hell of a headache, but apparently there's no damage to my brain."
    "I never knew you had much of a brain to damage." Elijah said, smirking.
    "You know, I didn't hurt my hand." Cory replied, making a fist.
    All four of them laughed.
    "How long until we're heading out?" Amanda asked.
    "No idea. Newman apparently doesn't know, or he's not telling."
    Elijah and Orion stood up. "We have to get back to our ships. Damage reports and that."
    "Alright, see you later." Cory said, shifting into a more comfortable position on the chair.
    Amanda nodded. "I'd better get going too."
    She stood up and gave him a hug, then walked out.
    Cory blinked, then shrugged, rubbing his sore head.
    The crew was scheduled for a week of rest on Deep Space Nine while the Raptor was repaired, yet again.
    Stepping onto the turbolift a few minutes later Cory sighed.
    "What next, they make me an Admiral?"
    END
    


End file.
